Since the Saints Row reboot was revealed last year, many longtime fans of the series have felt that it doesn’t feel “gangster” enough. While some don’t mind the over-the-top ridiculousness that was Saints Row 4, those who are more nostalgically attached to the first two Saints Row games — which are closer in style to Grand Theft Auto — wanted the reboot to hit that middle ground of being serious but comedic. So it’s not a surprise that the reactions to the game’s multiple trailers have been mixed due to it focusing on a new cast of “relatable” young adults who seem more casually appealing, like offbeat characters from Fortnite, than the hardened badass gang members we’re used to.
Volition understood the risk. Restarting a beloved, irreverent, iconoclastic franchise last seen almost a decade ago (yes, it’s been that long) with an entirely new crew is a big ask. Being fond of the 3rd Street Saints myself, I wasn’t entirely convinced at the start either. But after four hours of hands-on gameplay in co-op with our sister site PlayStation LifeStyle‘s Paulmichael Contreras, the Saints Row reboot mostly managed to make me forget about the gangster question altogether. Sure, the characters don’t have a lot of street cred (yet), but I was too busy shooting fools in the head and sideswiping police cars to care that much. The game reminded me just how much I missed the wacky open-world fun that only the Saints Row series can deliver.
Old-School vs. New-School
It’s true that your new crew members aren’t as badass and street smart as Playa, Shaundi, and Johnny Gat. The driver with an art degree Neenah, the bowtie businessman Eli, and the shirtless DJ Kevin seem barely out of college and are mostly out of their depth through the opening story missions. But if they seem too soft and naive to build the Saints’ criminal enterprise from scratch, that’s part of the point.
This is a retake on an origin story, so your roommates aren’t going to kick ass and take names right out of the gate. They will need to work their way up to being respected commanders in the Saints. Due to spoilers, I’m not allowed to say what happens in the first few cutscenes of the game, but let’s just say that it becomes clear that you and your friends will need to toughen up if they want to take over Santa Ileso from three rival gangs.
From newbs to Saints
One thing Volition could have mentioned in the trailers to make the transition to a new crew easier is that you’re all already entry-level members of the three different gangs. You’re a rookie security grunt for the Marshall corporation, Nina is romantically tied to the local Los Panteros gang, and Eli and Kevin are part of the anarchist Idols. Yeah, it’s impractical to be roomies with rival gang members, but rent is sky high and you all have student loans to pay. That’s exactly the kind of silly but on-brand premise I come to expect from Saints Row.
Through the first handful of story missions, your goal is to make a good impression by being a self-described “murder machine,” and performing insane stunts straight out of a Fast and Furious movie. But that eventually involves pissing off the other rival gangs, who are already on a collision course as they try to claim a mysterious ancient tablet at all costs. This ultimately gets you fired, which sends you through a humorous sequence of self-pity as you wallow in bed, mope toward the kitchen, and fail to make toast. Eventually, the escalating gang war forces your hand, but you and your friends decide to choose each other over betraying one another. So on a wing and a prayer (and lots and lots of bullets), you all break away and form the Saints at an abandoned church.
It’s still Saints Row
When it comes to the gameplay, the reboot thankfully doesn’t mess around much with what made the last few Saints Row games so much fun. You’ll do what you want, when you want, and how you want without taking anything too seriously. The reboot is still about taking over every district in the open world, running from the cops, stocking up on guns and ammo at Friendly Fire, and making sure anyone who gets in your way is taken out without mercy. You can customize everything from your outfits, your rides, and your perks (through your in-game phone), to your headquarters, your gang’s expansions on the map, and even the look of your crew.
Along the way, you can earn extra cash by participating in various side hustles and expanding the Saints empire through criminal ventures. While I wasn’t able to try the fan-favorite Insurance Fraud, I flew from rooftop to rooftop destroying antennas in Wingsuit Saboteur, delivered packages as fast as possible through Pony Express like something out of Crazy Taxi, pissed off gangs by giving their properties one-star reviews in @tcha, and stealing vans using a helicopter with a giant magnet in Choplifting. You can also take the time to place down properties of your own, as well as clearing gang threats across the map so that the Saints can take over rival territory and increase their income stream.
Some notable improvements
In combat, you don’t need to worry about stamina anymore, allowing you to run as much as you want. You also build a meter that when filled allows you to perform a takedown that grants temporary invincibility and restores your health. Enemies with secondary health bars, noted by a shield icon, are immune to takedowns until they’re depleted, so you’ll need to use your takedown strategically to stay alive.
In line with the game’s numerous customization options, you can adjust the difficulty settings as you see fit. Through the hands-on session, I stuck with the recommended option of Entrepreneur (the third of five difficulty options), but you’re free to move the dials for enemy durability, ammo scarcity, overall damage level, and more. On the regular difficulty setting, enemies can dish out a lot of damage if you’re not careful, but luckily Paulmichael and I were able to revive each other in a pinch through co-op play, which was relatively smooth for being an early build.
Driving in the Saints Row reboot has been dramatically improved. While drifting can feel a bit loose, you can now sideswipe with ease and every vehicle has a clear health bar. Taking some inspiration from the Forza Horizon series, you will also gain a good amount of extra experience points for near misses, drifts, and driving in oncoming traffic. Navigating the streets of Santo Ileso while listening to one of many radio stations is a breeze as well, with plenty of arrows pointing you in the right direction. During the four-hour session, I was only able to explore the southeast corner of the map, which is barely fifteen percent of the world, so there’s a lot left to discover.
Before the Review: Our thoughts so far on Saints Row (2022)
It’s understandable if you think the new crew members for the Saints are too friendly and approachable to be believable hardened criminals. At the very least, I hope the story convincingly turns them into badass criminals by the end. That said, I didn’t need them to be crime lords to have a crazy good time. The gameplay, the co-op, the side hustles, the humor, and the unapologetic wackiness are so far exactly what I want out of a Saints Row reboot.
Look out for our full review of Saints Row before its launch date of August 23, 2022 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC (via Epic Games Store).
